One of the best jobs in Rhode Island that you’ve never heard of is open.
Tom Giordano, the founding executive director of the Partnership for Rhode Island, is leaving the nonprofit business group that includes most of the state’s top CEOs after eight years on the job. He’s heading to the private sector.
The role pays well. Giordano made more than $300,000 in 2023 – the partnership’s revenue comes from membership fees – according to tax filings. And it’s crucial for the partnership to find a new director who understands how to harness the undeniable influence of the state’s major business and navigate government bureaucracy in order to actually get things done – all while avoiding the trappings of local politics.
The bigger picture: Modeled after similar groups in other states, the partnership was created when Gina Raimondo was governor with the backing of Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan, former GTECH chairman Don Sweitzer, and other major business leaders in the state. Its first board chair was Brian Goldner, who was CEO of Hasbro at the time.
The partnership has played a behind-the-scenes role in some of the major policy initiatives in Rhode Island in recent years, including funding the infamous Johns Hopkins University study that led to the state takeover of Providence schools and a separate consultant’s report on a potential merger between the state’s major hospital systems (the merger was killed by Attorney General Peter Neronha, among others).
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More recently, the partnership has been a lead funder of CompeteRI, which has helped governments across Rhode Island secure more than $700 million in federal grants in recent years.
What’s next: Giordano isn’t quite ready to announce his next move, but he’s staying in Rhode Island and will remain a key factor in Rhode Island’s business community.
The partnership’s current board chair is Brown University Health’s John Fernandez, and Giordano said the group wants to focus on business attraction in the coming years.
This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you’d like to receive it via email Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.
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Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.